


Masquerade for Two

by theghoulthatwrites



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 06:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4595565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theghoulthatwrites/pseuds/theghoulthatwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Forced to attend a masquerade, Touka stands away from the crowd watching as they mingle and dance. But when a stranger asks her to dance, the masquerade suddenly doesn't seem as dull as she had originally thought. - Yoriko was simply enjoying her evening of spying on her best friend but even she can't turn down a dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Touka sighed as she picked up her fifth cup of coffee that evening. Sipping it, she looked around the bustling room, wondering why humans enjoyed this. Masquerade balls are so stupid… These idiots wear masks for no reason. She spotted her friend, Yoriko, giggling and blushing as a young man in a black mask asked her to dance.

She grumbled as she adjusted her own mask so as to not hinder her vision. Thinking about her reason for even being here in the first place, Touka looked down into her cup, recalling the reason. That reason being her best friend, Yoriko.

"Come on, Touka! It’ll be so much fun!” Yoriko begged her friend, grabbing Touka’s hands and shaking them excitedly.

"Yoriko, you know I don’t like parties," Touka huffed. "I’m not going, so give me my hands back!"

Yoriko dropped her hands and pouted, gazing at her with wide, puppy dog eyes, bottom lip jutting out. Touka swore she saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Yorikoooo," she whined, "stop pouting, it’s just one party."

"No, Touka, you have to come!" Yoriko grinned as a sudden idea popped into her head. She looked at Touka pointedly. "Besides, what if you-know-who shows up?"

Touka blinked. “That’s highly unlikely, Yoriko. Nobody knows where he is!”

"Well you aren’t going to find out if you refuse to look for him in public," Yoriko pointed out. "Plus, it’s been so long that you need to get out. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a great guy at the ball"  
`  
Rubbing a hand down her face, Touka groaned, “Alright, fine! If it’ll get you off my ass, I’ll go!”

As her friend bounced around in glee, Touka stared into space. ‘He’s not going to be there, I know it. And now I have to wear a stupid dress and a stupid mask, ugh…’

So here she was, dressed in a dark red one-shoulder gown that complimented both her figure and hair, which was curled and pulled back by a bedazzled clip with loose tendrils framing her face. Her face was adorned with a black velvet mask studded with dark red gemstones and she could feel the sticky lipstick Yoriko had forced her to wear. 

Touka smiled into her cup softly; even though she didn’t want to be here, she had to admit that she liked seeing Yoriko this happy. She didn’t notice the man in a black suit approach her until she felt something brush against a tendril of her curls. Immediately she dropped the half-full cup as she looked up to glare at whoever disturbed her.

But who she saw rendered her speechless. Even with the mask, the young man looked exactly like her old friend Kaneki who had disappeared five years ago. Can it… Can that really be him? Her eyes raked over his body, looking for signs that it was him. She caught a glimpse of white hair hanging over his mask and her heart sped up rapidly. When her eyes settled on his hair, all hope she had dissipated. She sighed, Stupid, how could he really be here? The man’s hair wasn’t only white; his roots were growing out pitch black.

"Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you," he apologized, bending down to pick up the cup. Touka just stared at him.

"O-Oh, uh," she stuttered, finally finding her voice, "it’s fine, I get antsy in large crowds anyway."

He placed the cup on the table beside them and smiled at her,"I know the feeling; I’m usually the same." 

Touka nodded, blushing slightly. "But, I saw you staring into that coffee as if it held the answers to the universe and decided to talk to you. There was also something in your hair."

She cleared her throat, “Well, thanks for getting it… And I was not staring into it that hard.”

"Sure, whatever you say," he laughed. She crossed her arms and huffed. "Can I make it up to you with a dance?"

Touka’s mind went blank. She’d never been asked to dance before and definitely not by strangers. Although she felt some faint connection to this man that she couldn’t quite place; like she knew him. I won’t know if I don’t try right, Yoriko? Deciding to take her friend’s advice, she nodded. 

Haise beamed when the young woman agreed to dance with him. I didn’t think she’d actually say yes! Taking her hand, surprisingly firm yet soft, he led her to the dance floor and weaved through the couples until he found a good spot. Stopping near the middle of the crowd, Haise pulled her to him, placing his free hand at her waist.

That made Touka blush brightly. Hesitantly she laid her own free hand on his shoulder, falling into the rhythm of the dance. She focused her eyes on his tie, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh right, I never introduced myself!" He paused the dance, bowing at her slightly. "Sasaki Haise, at your service madam."

Touka glanced at his face to find him gazing at her and quickly averted her eyes, mumbling, “…. Touka.”

"What, I don’t get your last name?" Haise pretended to pout.

"I’m not just going to give my full name to a random stranger, idiot," she quipped, shooting him an annoyed look. But when his face went from teasing to serious, she became confused.

"But what if I told you that I’m not just a random stranger?" He asked quietly, slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

Touka squeaked in surprise when she felt his arm around her. Her heart began to beat harder as she came face to face with his chin. She couldn’t answer.

"Touka-chan?" He bent forward, forcing her to look at him. 

"I-I don’t know you," she whispered, unsure. "A-At least I think I don’t…"

Feeling embarrassed, she looked away from his face and looked around for her nearly forgotten friend. Yoriko caught her eyes from the arms of a very animated, very blond man. She grinned at the couple, winking at Touka before being spun away from sight. Touka felt air brush her ear.

"You only think so?” Haise moved his mouth to her ear, whispering and feeling her shiver slightly and heat spread across her cheeks. He grinned. “You know something, Touka?”

"… What?" She asked warily, flustered by his close proximity.

"Under that beautiful mask, you are more beautiful than even a full moon on a starry night." Touka’s eyes widened at the compliment. She sputtered for a response but was unable to form a coherent one. She had just given up in responding with Haise suddenly perked up and beamed at her. "Well, let’s finish this dance so we can start the next one!"

Touka followed his lead automatically, thoroughly confused by his sudden change in mood. But she won’t deny that she enjoyed the dance.

At home later that night, Touka laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling in thought. Unconsciously, her hand moved to her neck and brushed the places where she had felt his breath. Embarrassed at herself, she sat up and punched one of her pillows.

"Tch. That definitely wasn’t Kaneki," she stated. "Kaneki would never have the balls to act like that with me."

But… Maybe it’s time to let go of him and move on… she mused. She recalled Haise’s personality and decided that maybe Yoriko had been right about going to the party. Although, she would rather die than admit that to her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Yoriko was wandering around the room, keeping an eye on her unenthusiastic friend. Dodging people left and right in an effort to keep Touka in her line of sight. She had forced her friend to come, insisting it would be good for her.

"Touka, you can't just sulk for the rest of your life!" she had begged her friend. "You're young and you need to have fun! Who knows, maybe he will show up or you'll meet somebody new!"

She winked at her friend, hoping to convince her. Touka sighed and said nothing, avoiding the situation. Though eventually she had agreed to come after much pestering and begging on Yoriko's part. 

Yoriko chuckled as she remembered how flustered Touka had been after Yoriko had dragged her all over the city to shop for the ball. She looked at her friend, standing off to the side with a coffee cup, dressed in the deep red one-shoulder gown picked by yours truly. Not watching where she was going, Yoriko walked right into a young man she hadn't noticed.

She gasped in embarrassment, bowing frantically as her cheeks flamed. 

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I wasn't watching where I was walking, I am so sorry!"

"No harm done, miss," said a voice above her head. Yoriko straightened and looked up into the man's face, which was obscured with the black mask worn over his eyes. Like every other man, he was wearing a black suit but he seemed to stand out compared to the rest. Maybe it was his bright blond hair that was combed back yet still slightly disheveled. Yoriko blinked when she heard his voice and focused on his words. "What were you watching that was so interesting?"

"Oh, uh... I was watching my friend," she admitted. "I was remembering how flustered she got after she was dressed."

The man looked over her shoulder in the direction she had been looking and saw a young woman in a red dress sipping something. 

"The woman in the red dress?" he asked, nodding his head at Touka.

"Yes!" Yoriko smiled brightly. "It doesn't look like she's having fun though..."

"Hmmm..." he pretended to contemplate, rubbing his chin. "How about we show her how fun it can be, Miss...?"

"Yoriko," she chirped.

"Hide," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. "Shall we, Miss Yoriko?"

Yoriko giggled and placed her hand in his, letting him guide her into the mass of couples already dancing. Stopping in the middle of the group, Hide faced her and placed his freehand at her waist, grinning at her. Yoriko blushed slightly and moved her hand to rest on his shoulder, falling into the rhythm on the dance. They were silent for a moment, Yoriko enjoyed the feeling of dancing, when he spoke up.

"Your friend looks nice, but I don't think she compares to you," he told her, surveying her attire.

Surprised, Yoriko squeaked and stumbled over her feet. After she steadied herself, with Hide's help, she remembered looking in the mirror after she finished getting dressed. The opposite of Touka, she had picked a pastel pink strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. She had left hair own shoulder-length hair down, the hazelnut waves framing her face around the white lace mask she wore. Overall, if she had to describe the way she looked, she was the angel to Touka's devil.

"No, I don't think so," she argued, face flushed.

Hide frowned down at her, eyebrow raised. "And why is that?"

"For one, I dressed Touka so that she would stand out more," she stated. "And two, Touka is the type that most people can't help but stare at. Which is exactly the way I want it."

"You know, some people prefer the angel over the devil," he chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short because you don't stand out in the conventional way."

"Hmm...” Yoriko didn't respond and the two fell into a comfortable silence, swaying back and forth with the music. Suddenly she felt her stomach rumble embarrassingly loud and she peeked up at Hide to see if he noticed. He did.

"Hungry?" She nodded shyly. Hide laughed and took her hand, dragging her towards the refreshments table. 

Yoriko watched as he picked up a plate began piling food on it. When he was done, he turned to her and told her to close her eyes. Deciding to trust him, she closed her eyes and waited. When nothing happened, she cracked one eye open in time to see a cupcake coming towards her face. She squealed when she felt the frosting smear around her mouth and opened her eyes to glare at Hide.

Hide set the plate on the table and laughed uncontrollably. He couldn't resist the urge when it came to him and she looked adorable with pink frosting on her face on top of the tomato red it already was. His enjoyment was short lived when Yoriko snatched two cupcakes off the table and smushed them on his cheeks. She giggled so hard that she snorted before she could stop. The giggling stopped immediately as she covered her mouth with her hands, absolutely mortified.

"I thought it was cute," he laughed. Her expression didn't change much except now there were tears gathering in her eyes. Hide sputtered and looked around for something that might help him. Coming up empty-handed, he picked up a napkin and started wiping the frosting off her face. "Sorry, I couldn't help it...."

Yoriko watched Hide as he concentrated on removing every bit of frosting from her face and erupted in giggles again. His jaw dropped and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"You looked so serious!" She wrapped her arms around her middle. "It was so cute!"

Hide puffed out his chest, "I am not cute, I'm a man."

"Mhmm," Yoriko hummed soothingly as she finished wiping her face for him. Looking down at the napkin covered with frosting, she had an idea. 'Touka must be starting to rub off on me...' Slowly, she threw the napkin in a nearby trash can and stepped closer to Hide. Reaching up, she scraped some icing off his cheek and spread it on his nose. "You look plenty cute to me right now!"

"That's not fair, Yori!" He stepped forward to catch her wrist, but Yoriko was faster than him. She slipped past him and ran towards the ladies' restroom. 

Hide shoved some napkins in his pocket and chased after her. Just before she made it to the restroom door, he caught her arm and pulled her back towards him. Holding her in place he leaned down and rubbed his cheek on hers, spreading more frosting on her face. She squealed and tried to worm her away out of his grasp, to no avail. When she was finally let go, she turned to face the young man who was grinning triumphantly.

"Hide....." Yoriko narrowed her eyes at him, a scowl on her face.

Prepared, Hide lifted his hands in surrender. 

"Truce?" He dug in his pocket and handed her one of the napkins he had taken. 

"Fine," she sighed, taking the napkin and cleaning her face.

He grinned and pulled out another napkin to clean his face before grabbing her wrist. Throwing away the dirty napkins, he dragged Yoriko back into the dancing crowd and bowed to her. Without waiting for an answer, he stood and pulled her into the dance.

Yoriko laughed as she was pulled in circles by the excited young man. Feel as though someone were watching, she turned her head and looked around before she saw Touka. She noticed that she was dancing with another young man with white and black hair. Smirking, she winked at her best friend, making her blush, and turned back to her partner.

"She looks like she's having fun now," he said, glancing over her shoulder. 

Yoriko giggled. "And she didn't believe me when I said she would meet somebody."

"You met somebody too," he mumbled, trying to look hurt.

"You shoved a cupcake in my face," she reminded him. "You could have ruined my dress."

He huffed and the two fell silent. Hide studied her face, her soft eyes and beautiful smile while she was looking at his tie. She lifted her gaze and caught him staring.

"What?" she asked. "Is there frosting in my hair?"

"N-" He spotted a small glob of frosting in her hair at the middle of her neck. She hadn't noticed, so he decided to pretend he didn't. "No, I don't see any."

Suspicious of the pause before he answered, she figured there was frosting in her hair. But instead of calling him out on it, she glared at him and hit his arm lightly when he laughed.

Yoriko knew that she was never the girl that stood out in any situation. But, by literally running into the man he was dancing with, she felt more confident in herself. Touka wasn't the only one who met somebody that night.


End file.
